The new regulations, which went into effect around April 1, mean turning away about 10 to 12
potential recruits at his office each month, Oliver said.

Still, he endorsed the changes. “It’s all about projecting a more-professional image.”

The tighter rules ban body art on the head, face, neck, wrists, hands and fingers. Soldiers are
allowed a maximum of four visible tattoos below the elbow or knee, but they must be smaller than
the wearer’s hand, which means that “sleeves” are also prohibited.

The Army now has the toughest tattoo policy of all the branches of service. It’s not the first
time that the top brass has turned thumbs down on being overly tatted up, said Wayne Hall, an Army
spokesman at the Pentagon.

However, after the 9/11 attack, when more recruits were needed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army
took a more-lenient stance — and the inkwell flowed with abandon.

But the Army decided it was time to reassess. Current soldiers who are noncompliant with the
revised policy are grandfathered in.